Ecologists use the phrase “charismatic megafauna” to describe large, likable animals, and the beloved species in this gallery might vanish soon.

Jeremy Rose / The Daily Meal

15 Familiar Plants and Animals That May Not Be Around Much Longer

Coral

Breathtaking coral reefs are built over millennia, but the colonies of coral polyps that build them have been disappearing precipitously just in the last few decades — Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral since 1985, inspiring some travelers to rush to visit the natural wonder before it disappears. Coral loss is attributed to a range of factors including increased tropical cyclones, predation by starfish, and coral bleaching, a phenomenon linked to climate change in which coral expel symbiotic algae when the water is too warm. If that sounds arcane, that’s because ecology is incredibly complex — seemingly small changes can produce devastating effects, and when coral suffer, so do the countless other aquatic species that depend on reef habitats.